Non Sequitur Box

I started this blog after a few "significant" running races. Here is a quick overview of some races I did that Athlinks kindly recorded for me. Another day I'll write quick race recaps for my triathlons. Rock 'n' Roll VA Beach Half Marathon 2007 : 1:33:00 My first half marathon!  I had no clue how to pace this. My boyfriend at the time couldn't run it since he was dealing with plantar pain. I began my long distance running addiction while training for this race. I only ran up to 13 miles, but that was a big deal for me. 5k: 21:50 10k: 43:38 10mi: 1:10:47 11mi: 1:18:05 Marine Corps Marathon 2007 : 3:19:12 Since I tackled my first half marathon, and one of my upperclassmen (Rick P.) was giving away/transferring his bib, I decided to go for the full marathon the next month. This was the day after I ran in the Patriot League Championship for cross-country (6k course). I definitely started out a little too fast, but I didn't stop! My boyfriend at the ...

Today I ran in Potomac River Running Store's Mother's Day 4 Miler. The race was held near Baron Cameron Park in Reston, VA. This was my first race on this course and my second four miler. My goal was to break 26:00 (my previous PR was 25:01 at Four Courts Four Miler). I knew I should break 25:41 (which is what I ran my "tempo" four mile last time). Prep: For the past two weeks, I've been training with Capital Area Runners under the coaching of Coach George Buckheit. I'm still lifting three days a week, but I'm not focusing too much on huge gains (I keep it heavy, but I don't push the volume or intensity unnecessarily). I also added planks/push-ups back into my core routine, as I have been doing more concentric/eccentric movements and neglecting isometric movements. On the downside, this past week I worked with some isocyanantes and accidentally got exposed (somehow I found chemical rashes on my arms, abs, chest, and nose even though I was wear...

I've been juggling a few books recently, so for my March-April-May book, I read Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer. I borrowed this book from a co-worker who has a phD in biology. One day, we started talking about cats, and he mentioned toxoplasma gondii. He told me this tale about a parasite that gets on rats, makes the rat hang around cats, and the parasite gets onto the cat. This parasite is also found on humans who own cats, and it has connections with neurological disorders (schizophrenia) and other psychological effects. This tale was true, and I was intrigued, so he lent me this book. I absolutely loved this book! I kept stopping to tell my boyfriend about parasites. I had my opinions about parasites change as I read the book. When I started reading Parasite Rex , I realized how dangerous parasites can be. Zimmer explains how a simple parasite can cause sleeping sickness or river blindness, as he has seen in Africa. I even avoided pork for a short time while I was reading ab...

This week I joined Capital Area Runners under the coaching of George Buckheit. I learned about the team when I saw a group of ladies in red jerseys running some of the local races together. They always performed very well. Last fall, I had the pleasure of meeting Coach Buckheit. This moment was after the majority of the fall marathons and the beginning of the cold weather (when I retreated indoors for my speed workouts). I told myself I would come out next spring...maybe. Here were are today. I trained with them for a week before committing. That week included two long runs, a tempo workout, and a track workout. George was great about answering all my questions (about his training methods, training that I'm used to, my self-training methods), giving me input on my current training plan (which was running me into the ground), and treating me like I was already a member of the team. I think it's important to have a coach with whom you get along and with whose training methods ...